News Ray Joins Lakers Athletic Training Staff - Garrett College
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Campus News

August 30th, 2022

Ray joins Lakers' athletic training staff

Former WVSU head athletic trainer happy to be closer to his roots

Rick Ray

Rick Ray is the new assistant athletic trainer at Garrett College.

Rick Ray found his career path in the Turkeyfoot Valley Area High School library.

"I found The Principles of Athletic Training – which is kind of the athletic training bible – in the high school library," recalled Ray, who is the new assistant athletic trainer at Garrett College. "I started looking through it just because of my general interest in athletics."

That library trip jump-started an athletic training career that's included working in the Chicago White Sox organization and spending 30 years as the head athletic trainer at West Virginia State University. Now retired from WVSU, Ray looked at the Garrett College opportunity as a chance to stay in a career field he loves.

"I've always had an interest in athletics in general," said Ray, who played baseball and football at Turkey Foot Valley. "If it was summer, I was playing baseball; if it was fall, I was playing football; and if it was winter I was probably shooting basketball."

Ray graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training/Social Sciences from California University of Pennsylvania in 1988 and did post-graduate work at Marshall University. While at Cal, he served as the varsity student trainer covering baseball, wrestling, football, men's basketball and women's softball.

His first full-time athletic training position came with the White Sox, spending three seasons with the Class A Utica Blue Sox in addition to working with Chicago's Sarasota club. During the winter off-season he was a graduate assistant at WVSU.

Ray accepted a position as head athletic trainer at West Virginia State in 1992, serving simultaneously as strength and conditioning coordinator for his first eight years at WVSU. To say his time at WVSU was hectic would be an understatement.

"For 12-15 years, I was the only trainer there," said Ray. "For all 30 years I did football all by myself."

Ray, who has a home on Keyser's Ridge, replaces Britta Lais, who accepted a position at Frostburg State University.

"I know the area and I like it," said Ray. "I was ready to get back close to the area where I grew up."

"We are very excited to have Rick join our athletics staff here at Garrett," said Liz Show, GC's head athletic trainer and co-athletic director. "His years of athletic training experience will be invaluable to our student athletes."